Italian wines for small parties, big meaty family dinners, and the celebration of the harvest.By Joe Bastianich

I love to fill an autumn house with the smells of roasting game, and at my winery in Friuli, we have a traditional hunter's dinner each October. These meals allow us to showcase more fine and delicate wines: I like to pour the firmly structured Camartina blend produced by Querciabella with a slow-braised cinghiale to temper and tame the rich and fragrant meat.

This Thanksgiving, try a wild game bird instead of a turkey, and you'll find that your pairing options increase exponentially. There is no better match for an oven-roasted pheasant than Sfursat, Italy's answer to red Burgundy. The simple pan dripping–flavored potatoes—which we like to serve with the bird—allow the subtleties of the noble Nebbiolo grape (also used to make Barolo and Barbaresco wines) to shine through.

Recommendations

Valtellina Sfursat 5 Stelle Nino Negri 2003 ($60) Raspberries and currants with notes of tobacco and cedar box make up this complex nose, which evolves into cooked berries as the wine opens up. There's an explosion of berries on the palate with a resounding finish of damp earth and pine resin.